Sorry it took me so long to get this one out folks, I was busy graduating for college and getting married. But here it is, and I worked extra hard on it so I really hope you like it. The last installment of this chapter shouldn't take as long I promise.
I lashed out at him, more out of displaced anxiety than anger, and I asked him roughly what in the world he was doing up there. Suddenly I looked around and noticed that the room I was standing in must have belonged to Sirius, there were many pictures and posters of him and his friends and also a large Gryffindor banner, I also noticed that the room had been completely ripped apart. I curiously asked Harry what in the world he had been doing, and he quietly handed me a letter that he said he'd just found it. I began to read it and my heart ached. It was from his mother Lily, to Sirius. It seemed to be written very close to the time of her death, she talked about him and his father and told Sirius how much they missed him. Every word of the letter was saturated with love and care. I looked sadly at Harry, ever since I had met him I had always had a soft spot in my heart for him for this reason, growing up without a family, I always, somewhere in my mind, felt like I had to protect him just a bit more, keep him a bit safer. Now in reading this letter it re-affirmed this feeling in my heart, all that was good and wonderful about Harry came from these amazing people, and I knew that they would want their son to be loved just as much as they loved him. I said his name slowly, trying to think of how to tell him what I was feeling, but he cut me off… handing me a photograph, it was torn down the middle but there was a man laughing brightly at the antics of a small toddler riding a miniature broom. I knew instantly who the picture was of, because the man in the picture bore a striking resemblance to the man standing before me, I smiled as baby Harry zoomed in and out of the picture happily. Harry softly explained that he had been looking for the other half of the picture, the half with his mother in it. I could hear the pain in Harry's voice, I couldn't even begin to understand how hard it was for him, to lose everyone who had ever loved you, to feel that alone. I looked around the room as I tried to find the right words, but suddenly something else came to my mind. I asked Harry if he had made the whole mess in this room, and he confirmed my suspicion that he hadn't. I explained to him that I had noticed all of the rooms I had gone into seemed to have been searched. He interjected that it was probably Snape looking for information on the Order, but I pointed out that Snape was in the Order so he would most likely have all the information he needed. Harry then countered that maybe he was looking for information on Dumbledore. He pointed out that the second page of his mother's letter to Sirius was missing and that his mother had mentioned Bathilda Bagshot. Now my interest was peaked, Bathilda Bagshot had written A History of Magic and was well known as one of the most noted historian's in the magical world. My interest was peaked still further when Harry pointed out that he had heard from Aunt Muriel at the wedding that she was still alive, he then tried to non-chalantly suggest that we go meet her under the guise that it would be beneficial to our mission, but I saw through the excuse in a second and he knew it. He took the letter and photo back from me and took his time stuffing them in his pocket so he didn't have to look me in the eye. I instantly felt bad, I softened my voice as I tried to explain to Harry that I completely understood why he would want to meet a woman who knew both his parents and Dumbledore so well, but that I thought it might be very dangerous to go anywhere near Godric's Hollow, because I truly felt in my heart that would be the first place the Death Eaters might look for him. He was still avoiding my gaze as he reluctantly told me that Aunt Muriel had talked with him at the wedding and told him some truly awful things about Dumbledore, things about his family and his life before school. I was appalled, not only did the information Harry had just given me put a heavy weight on my already burdened heart, but I was sorely disappointed that Harry would even consider believing such awful things when his sources were none other than Aunt Muriel and Rita Skeeter, two of the most conniving sources on the planet. I thought he'd have more faith in Dumbledore, and I told him so. He brushed it off but I knew a seed of doubt had been planted in his mind about Dumbledore and it killed me to see it. Finally I decided to change the subject, I realized we had been standing in the room for quite some time, so I suggested we go downstairs and have some breakfast, I knew Ron would be wondering what happened to us. Harry agreed grumpily and we walked down the stairs in silence. Suddenly Harry called my name and I realized he had stopped a flight of stairs behind me. He was staring at a door as he said that he thought he had found R.A.B. I was momentarily stunned and then gasped as his words sunk in, R.A.B. was the man who stole the Horcrux! I dashed back up to the landing Harry was on as quickly as possible. He showed me the sign, Regulus Archurus Black. I grabbed his arm, as excitement rose inside me, could we dare to hope that after all our stressing and worrying the lost Horcrux could be in this very house with us? Harry quickly pointed out that Regulus was a Death Eater who ended up being murdered by his own when he deserted. I began to shake with excitement as I gasped to him that it fit with the note in the fake locket! I quickly leaned over the banister and screamed for Ron to come upstairs. He came barreling up the stairs a few seconds later and was babbling quickly trying to figure out what was going on. I simple pointed silently at the door and watched with amusement as he put the pieces together in his own head. We all entered the room, the boys began to tear it apart looking for the locket, I pointed out that a Summoning Spell would be a better use of our time. When it yielded nothing, I realized slightly sheepishly that the locket was probably protected from them, and we went back to searching manually but not before Ron made a sarcastic comment. We searched for over an hour tearing the room apart but found nothing. The boys seemed to become down heartened but I was more determined than ever, if there was a Horcrux under this roof I would find it. I felt for the first time that maybe I really could do this mission. I was going through every place it could possibly be in my head, I pointed out to the boys that there were plenty of places it could be hidden I reminded them of the old clock in the drawing room that had spit nuts and bolts at us two summers ago when we had been cleaning the house. Suddenly I stopped, in remembering that summer it had come to me. My optimism deflated inside me like someone had poked a hole in a balloon. I slowly turned to them and reminded them that there had been a locket in the drawing room cabinet… none of us could open it. I trailed off and looked at them in horror, we all knew that locket had joined a large bag of items that had been thrown away as trash. I felt the hopelessness filling in around me again, we could never catch a break. Suddenly Harry pointed out that Kreacher had stolen many of the knick-knacks from the garage bag. We all took off for the kitchen, it was a slim chance but it was the best that we had at the moment. We checked Kreacher's pathetic little nest next to the boiler, but there was nothing, Ron and I were in complete despair but Harry was not finished. He called for Kreacher out of thin air and Kreacher appeared though very unwillingly, as Harry was now master of Grimauld Place he was also master of Kreacher, therefore as much a he despised it, Kreacher could not disobey him. Harry asked him if he had stolen the locket and to our joy he said yes, but we were quickly disappointed when he went on to say that Mundugus Fletcher, one of the Order's more seedy members had pilfered it shortly after Sirius death. Therefore, just as I'd feared, it could have been anywhere. I felt horribly sorry for the little elf, but with a little more persuasion Harry got him to admit that the locket had been stolen by Sirius's brother Regulus, and then Regulus charged Kreacher with it's safe keeping, and told him to destroy it. My heart broke as the elf told the story about how Regulus sacrificed his own life to steal the locket and then ordered Kreacher to leave him to die, and protect the locket. Tears streamed down the poor old elf's face, and I wished he'd allow me to hug him, but I knew he would find it a grievous insult. He called me a Mudblood but then immediately began to slam his head into the floor in punishment, because Harry had already told him not to do so. I cried for Harry to have him stop, it made me sick to my stomach to watch the poor creature have no will of his own. He sobbed as he explained what we already knew, he could not find a way to destroy the locket, not even elf magic was powerful enough. Harry began to berate him for choosing to betray Sirius to Voldemort, even after Regulus had fought him so ardently but I quickly intervened. I knew he wasn't going to like what I had to say but it was the truth, house elves were most loyal to those who treated them well. That was their nature, Regulus treated Kreacher well out of care, and Sirius treated him horribly out of bitterness towards his family. Bellatrix Lestrange knew this, and she used it against him, winning Kreacher's loyalty with kindness, I pointed out that as much as I loved Sirius, Kreacher's disloyalty was his own fault. Harry thankfully had no retort, I knew as much as he hated it, he knew I was right. I was touched when Harry actually turned to Kreacher and asked him very kindly to find Mundugus, explaining to him that he would be helping to finish the work Regulus had started. He also gave him the fake Horcrux as a gift, explaining to him it had belonged to Regulus, Ron muttered that it was overkill, but as the house elf sobbed in gratitude I knew that we had just gained an extremely useful and unshakably faithful ally.
Harry seemed to be under the impression that Kreacher would be back in minutes, and as the day wore on he got progressively antsier. I tended to stay away from him as much as possible. The days passed by slowly, and our time was spent mostly keeping watch or finding some way to occupy ourselves in the large house. I spent most of my time reading, I knew the boys were getting anxious and frustrated but I didn't know what else to do, and I knew Dumbledore had given me the Tales of Beedle and the Bard, for a reason and I was determined to find out what it was. It didn't help matters any that there was very little food in the house and without Kreacher's magic I was forced to make do, and not very successfully. As more time went on things went from bad to worse, we were all hungry and stressed, and the icing on the cake was that we now were fairly sure there were Death Eater's watching the house. We deduced that they didn't know we were already inside, and were probably on watch waiting for us to show up. Yet their presence had us in a constant state of tension and fear, the result of which was increased bickering on the part of Ron and I. One night as Ron and I were snipping at each other when suddenly several things happened at once. First we heard Harry yell at someone to not move, and we suddenly realized he was not in the room with us. His yell awakened the painting of Mrs. Black who was screaming obscenities as we charged down the stairs. To our relief the intruder turned out to be none other than Remus Lupin, who had come to give us some much appreciated news of the outside world. We explained our side of the story to him, and then he gave us the news that the Death eaters had taken over full control of the Ministry and also the Daily Prophet. As the gravity of those words sunk in I felt like I was at the end of a long dark tunnel. We were truly alone, there was no where to hide, no one to turn to, and the fate of the world truly rested in our hands. Remus went n to show us that one of the newest acts put in place by the death eaters was a program to eradicate Muggle Borns from the wizarding world, by making all those accused of being Muggle Born prove their magical heritage before a court. Ron reacted violently at this spouting out how ridiculous it was. My heart was filled with warmth as I looked at him, I knew I should be terrified but in that moment, but seeing how protective he was, it was the safest I had felt in a long time. Ron went on to fiercely say that he was going to claim me as his cousin and teach me about his family tree so I could answer questions. I gripped his hand tightly and he squeezed mine back looking encouragingly into my eyes. I had never loved anyone as much as I loved him. I knew I would never be truly alone as long and he was beside me. At that moment Lupin laid another hard bit of news on us, the Death Eaters had made it Mandatory for all young witches and wizards to now attend Hogwarts, home schooling was not an option so in a few short weeks we would officially be fugitives of the law. Lupin went on to ask us about our mission, and Harry had to yet again tell someone we trusted that we couldn't give them any information, it was maddening as if Dumbledore wanted us to be alone. Yet Lupin was insisting he come along anyway to try and be of help, this concerned me slightly seeing as Lupin was just married to Tonks a few short months earlier. I pointed this out but to my surprise he told me in a surly voice that Tonks was safe at her parents house. I could tell by his voice that something was wrong so I asked tentatively and was blown off, he told us in a very reluctant sort of way that Tonks was pregnant. I was overjoyed and about to congratulate him but he simply went back to talking about joining us on our mission. Ron and I exchanged confused looks but it was Harry who spoke, he basically asked Lupin why he was so keen on abandoning is wife and child. Lupin snapped he began yelling about how marrying Tonks was a mistake that he had made her an outcast, that their child would be shunned as a half breed, and always be ashamed of him. I was taken aback and quickly gasped that no child would ever be ashamed to have him as a father but he ignored me. Then the last thing I expected happened Harry stood up and said that he thought Lupin deserved to have his child be ashamed, he called him a coward and without warning Lupin pulled his wand and sent Harry flying into the wall, the last thing I saw was Lupin storming away anguish written all over his face. I turned on Harry and realized that the face I was looking at was that of a stranger, anger and hatred were written all over Harry's stone cold face. I yelled at him for speaking like that but he brushed it off with no remorse, saying Lupin deserved it. I glared at him in disgust and he snapped at me for it. Ron was quick to come to my rescue and I could tell a gigantic row was ensuing if we didn't all calm down. Ron told Harry once again that he shouldn't have said that and to my relief, Harry softened slightly as he quietly said,
"Parent's shouldn't leave their kids unless they've got to."
That did it. The tension and anger evaporated, and I tried to reach out to comfort Harry but he brushed me away and turned his back to Ron and I. We looked at each other in concern; I was not sure quite what to do anymore, things felt like they were falling down around us. Ron put his hand on the side of my face and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. He gave a sort of tired and sad little smile that I had come to know quite well. I didn't need the words to understand what he was telling me, it would be ok… somehow. I nodded and he leaned in to kiss my head, but before he could Harry turned back around and we quickly moved away from each other. He begrudgingly admitted that he shouldn't have said those things to Lupin but also said that if it got him to stay with his wife maybe it was for the best. Ron and I didn't answer him so he flopped down and began to read the Daily Prophet, Ron and I sat staring into the fire place, he slipped his hand into mine under the table and entwined our fingers. As I sat staring into the flames I became lost in my own thoughts, suddenly I was brought sharply back to reality as a loud scurrying mass of arms and legs appeared out of thin air on the kitchen floor. It was Kreacher and Mundungus! In all the chaos of the day we had completely forgotten about Kreacher's mission. I quickly disarmed Mundungus and then Harry began to question him. At first Mundungus thought we had called him in to seek revenge on him for deserting Mad Eye Moody to his death, but after he learned the real reason he gave us the information easily enough, though it was the last thing we wanted to hear. It had been confiscated from him, by none other than Delores Umbridge.
That night I was lying in bed staring at the ceiling but I couldn't sleep, there was something I couldn't get out of my mind, like a splinter. I got up and tip toed to a door on the left side of my room. After the first night we decided we should all sleep in proper beds. Harry had moved into Sirius's old room on the top floor which suited him well because he had been tending to want more and more privacy lately. Ron had insisted that he and I stay on the second floor in a pair of rooms that were connected. I knew he wanted to be able to keep me safe. I quietly opened the door that led into Ron's room and walked over to his bed. I sat down on the edge and watched him sleep, he was sprawled out on his back like usual and snoring quietly. I smirked, I knew that the deeper he fell asleep the louder his snores would get. I let my eyes follow the soft contours of his face, his rosy pinks lips slightly parted as he slept, his long nose, his bright red hair with it's tendency to curl now that it was growing longer. I never knew I could feel so deeply about another human being. As much as I knew I needed to ask him the question that was burning in my brain, I couldn't bear to wake him, he seemed so peaceful. I sighed and slipped off the bed, as I turned to head back towards my room I felt a warm hand close around my wrist.
"Hey where you goin?" said Ron drowsily and he pulled me back down on the bed and sat up to face me.
"You looked so peaceful… I didn't want to wake you." I answered him quietly.
"What's up Mione?" said Ron keenly looking at my face.
"It's just… after everything that happened with Lupin today. Something's been bothering me…" I said truthfully.
"Ok… well then tell me…" said Ron, and as he did he folded down the corner of his blanket and patted the bed next to him. I took the hint and willingly slipped under the covers and cuddled up next to him laying my head on his chest.
"Lupin said he felt like he was a burden to Tonks… that he made her an outcast, and gave his children a curse…" I said softly.
"Yeah…" said Ron prompting me to go on, as he stroked my hair softly.
I pressed my face against his chest, willing myself to ask the next question.
"Do you ever feel like that about me?" I said softly, hating that my voice seemed so small and weak.
Ron stopped stroking my hair, and sat up slightly I lifted my head to meet his gaze and he was looking at me with a mixture of concern and confusion.
"Hermione Jean Granger what in the bloody hell would make you say something like that?" he said.
"Well… as much as people say it's not true… I AM different. I will always be looked at as different, even before the Death Eaters were hunting down Muggle Borns, there were always those who looked down on me…. If you……stay with me… there are always going to be people who judge you for being with a Muggle Born…. Our children will have to live with the fact that their mother is a Muggle born, that they have Muggle gradparents, and there will be people who mock them for that….. doesn't that ever bother you?" I realized I had been talking very fast without pausing, once I had started it all poured out of me like a fountain, I looked into Ron's face and was happy to see that while he did look slightly overwhelmed, he was also smiling and shaking his head slightly.
"Oh 'Mione leave it to you to put being a Muggle Born on the same level as being a werewolf…." He said still shaking his head, "Not that either is inherently bad of course." He added quickly.
Ron sat up all the way and I turned to face him. He put his hands on each of my shoulders and looked at me sternly.
"Now you listen to me Hermione Granger." He said in a very serious voice, but the twinkle in his eye gave him away, "you are the most beautiful, amazing, smart, talented witch to come out of Hogwarts in I don't know how many years. I ask myself every single day what a girl like you would ever be doing with a stupid, ornery, git like me. You are truly the best part of my life, and to answer your question…" he moved one hand to my cheek, "no Hermione…. There has never been a day in my life that you being a Muggle Born has bothered me one bit. I've been sending slug belching curses at anyone who looks down on you for it since I was twelve years old, and I'm not about to stop now."
I beamed at him, and he grinned right back. I lifted my hand and ran my fingers across his cheek. He gave me a slightly scared slightly determined look as he slipped both hands behind my neck and began to lean his face down to mine, but before he could get there I turned my head to the side. He released me immediately and moved away. I looked up at him and I could see the hurt etched in his face.
"Ron…" I began, but he cut me off.
"It's ok I get it, you don't want to. To be honest I wouldn't blame you. With the disgusting antics I put on with Lavender last year I wouldn't be surprised if no girl ever wants to kiss me again." He said. He was keeping his voice purposefully even and he refused to meet my eye.
"Ron… is that honestly what you think? That I don't want to kiss you?" I said incredulously, as I moved close to him again.
"What else could it be Hermione… every time I get close you push me away." He said softly.
"Ron…" I said gently lifting his face and making him meet my eye, "I've never wanted anyone the way I want you." I said earnestly, and as I did I felt the color rise in my face, this was the most intimate conversation I had ever had with a boy.
"Then what is it…." said Ron softy taking my hand.
'I don't want to remember our first kiss like this, when so much horrible darkness is around us. I want it to be a memory I look back on and it is perfect nothing to mar it." I said earnestly.
"That's all? Really?" said Ron.
"For the most part yes… why? You don't think that's a good enough reason?" I said.
"No I totally understand… it's a perfectly acceptable reason. I just…. thought it had to have been about me…" he said sheepishly.
"Ron Weasley you may have made some mistakes in your life but rest assured you are everything that I want…" I said, and I wrapped my arms around him hugged him fiercely. We lay back down together, and I once again put my head against his chest listening to the sound of his heart. He held my hand in his and after a few moments of peaceful silence he spoke.
"Hey Hermione…" he said.
" Yes…" I said softly, my eyelids were beginning to feel heavy.
"When I asked you if your hesitance to kiss me was just because of our circumstances you said, 'for the most part' what was the other part?" he said.
Suddenly I was wide awake and I could feeling my face flushing bright red and I was very thankful that Ron couldn't see me in the dark.
"I was hoping you might not pick up on that one…" I said feeling thoroughly embarrassed.
"Why…"said Ron sounding amused, " what is it…"
"well… I suppose… I was just worried about kissing you late at night… in your bedroom. With how emotional and stressed we've been… I was worried things might keep going…" I stumbled around for the right words feeling completely mortified and stupid, "I just don't want to rush into anything for the wrong reasons." I finished and then buried my face in his chest feeling utterly humiliated.
" Hey…" he said softly, and it was his turn to pull my face up and make me look at him, "I don't want to rush anything either. I spent so much time with Lavender, and none of it meant anything. I want every second of my life with you to be precious."
"Me too…." I said smiling at him, but then I thought of something, "Ron…" I said tentatively, "While we're on the subject… did you and Lavender ever….." I let my voice trail off and waited apprehensively for the answer.
Ron was silent for a very long time and my heart sank. It was not that I would love him any less if the answer was yes, but I the romantic side of me really wanted that piece of him all to myself.
"She wanted to…" said Ron slowly, "but I said no… it was actually one of the things that kind of started the end of it all… I didn't love her... if you're going to do that… you should love the person."
"yeah…" I said softly and I looked deeply into his eyes, what was passing between us had absolutely no need for words.
"I should go back to bed…" I said after a few more moments.
"You're in bed silly goose…" said Ron with a smirk.
"I should go back to my bed." I specified.
"Alright… if you have to…" said Ron with a pronounced sigh and a grin.
I punched his arm playfully and slipped out of his bed and went to the door. I turned to him in the doorway.
"I'll see you in the morning Ron." said softly.
"Sleep well 'Mione." He said with a smile, and I closed the door and hopped back in my bed feeling much more at peace.
My sense of peace did not last long. As August began to wind down we all decided that our only course of action at the moment, was to try and steal that locket back from Delores Umbridge. The idea itself terrified me. She was one of the highest ranking officials in a Ministry that was now completely overrun by Death Eaters! Planning our current mission was a harrowing task, in which every miniscule detail had to be taken into consideration. I was under more stress than I had ever been under, but at the same time I felt like I had a purpose again. As daunting as our task seemed at least we were moving forward. Another positive turn in events was that Kreacher had now seemed to become Harry's most loyal companion and had cleaned the house to perfection while also providing us with a steady stream of delicious meals. On the evening of September first Ron and I were pouring over our notes and preparing for just such a meal when we heard Harry calling from the hallway that he had brought home ill news. In his short visit Lupin had remembered to inform us that if one Apparated precisely onto the front stoop of Number 12 Grimauld Place, that they would be protected by the Fidelus Charm. Since acquiring that knowledge we had been free(with the help of Harry's Invisibility Cloak) to come and go as we pleased. Harry walked into the kitchen and slapped the newspaper down on the table. Ron and I both gasped in horror at the headline which stated that Severus Snape would be made the new Headmaster of Hogwarts school. I snatched up the paper as quickly as I could and began to read furiously. It was a load of inane senseless propaganda by the Death Eater's about how Snape would, "uphold our finest Wizarding traditions and values" as I read I began to grumble out loud about the idea of Snape taking over Dumbledore's office… and suddenly it felt like someone had dropped a cold ice cube in my stomach as I remembered something, a horrible lapse that could have left us completely exposed! I shrieked and ran out of the kitchen without even stopping to explain. I tore up the landing to a row of pictures that were along the second floor hall. Suddenly I stopped, I knew I had to be very careful about this, the security of all three of us was at stake. I tiptoed very carefully towards a picture frame at the end of the row and was relieved to find it empty. I pulled it down as quick as possible and turned it towards myself so that if it's occupant happened to show up they wouldn't see a thing. The portrait belonged to Phineas Nigellus, he was a great uncle of Sirius, but what was infinitely more important at the moment was that he was a former Headmaster of Hogwarts and therefore had the ability to go between his painting here at Grimauld Place, and his painting in what was now Snape's office, and I had a feeling he would have no qualms about being a spy for the newly appointed Head master. I ran back to the kitchen and stuffed the portrait into my bad while explaining to the boys what I had done. We all sat down to eat and they praised me for my quick thinking. As we ate dinner Harry reported his findings while he had been out, and I began to panic as he pointed out yet another detail we had forgotten to consider. It felt like no matter how much we planned we would never be ready, then to my dismay Harry piped up he thought we should put our plan in action the following day! I gasped that we weren't prepared but both boys pointed out that we were as prepared as we would probably ever be. In the end we decided that we would go though with it. I was terrified, but also excited. Ron once again tried to convince me to stay behind. He had been on the same tack all week, and while I found it very sweet of him, it was also slightly frustrating. In the end he gave up and we all were about to go back to eating when Harry made a strange movement, he tried to make it look like he was brushing his bangs aside but I was fairly sure he had clutched his scar. A second later he excused himself quickly with the excuse that he needed to use the bathroom. I looked at Ron and he looked back at me with what I was sure was a similar expression of concern.
"Do you reckon it was his scar?" he said.
"Of course it was Ron.. he's been feeling it more and more, why do you think he's staying away from us so much?" I answered.
"It's getting almost as bad as two years ago… " said Ron darkly.
"I know… I just wish he would let us help him… I mean we're here risking our lives with him you'd think the least he's let us do is-"
My thought was cut short by loud yells coming from the upstairs bathroom. Ron and I tore up the stairs as fast as we could and pounded on the door. Harry opened it and tried to pass it off like nothing had happened, but we knew better and we confronted him on it, he admitted he had seen a vision of Voldemort killing someone. I reacted violently I yelled at him that he was not supposed to be having these visions anymore. I was angry, but I was also afraid. The image of him writhing on the floor possessed by Voldemort just a little over a year ago was still burned in my mind. Harry snapped at me that he couldn't shut Voldemort out because he wasn't strong enough so he was going to try and use the visions for good. I tried to point out that Dumbledore had warned against that and he bitterly spat to forget Dumbledore, that it was his choice. He then went back to discussing his vision with Ron. I was quiet, but concern was growing inside me. He seemed to be becoming more and more irrational as time went on. When he started once again discussing the event at the beginning of the summer where he claimed his wand moved of it's own power I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. I told him he had made his wand move and he was just refusing to take responsibility for his own power. He yelled back that he knew the truth and so did Voldemort, and my denial was just making us weak. I stood there fuming at him, desperately wanting to tell him that the only thing making us weak was that he was becoming unhinged, but I didn't. I forced myself to let it go, and we all went back to going over the plan. We went to bed late that night, even after Harry retreated to Sirius's room Ron and I sat in the drawing room by the fire for awhile, simply holding each other. I knew what we were doing the next day was exceedingly dangerous, and I was afraid if I let those precious moments end I might never get them back. The next morning I waited in the kitchen for the boys, and after we had some breakfast we were off. I Apparated with Ron to a small alley right next to the Ministry entrance, he kissed my head quickly and then I Apparated back to pick up Harry. The first phase of our plan went off with without a hitch, through a combination of Puking Pastilles, and Stunning Spells, and Polyjuice Potion Ron, Harry, and I were transformed into Mafalda Hopkirk, Reg Cattermole, and a tall dark man who's name we didn't know. We all went into the public entrance which ended up being a public toilet in which you flushed yourself into the ministry through small chutes. When I got inside I noticed quite a few things the first of which was that a huge and horrible statue of a witch and wizard on thrones had been put in the middle of the Atrium and it read, Magic is Might. I shuddered at it, but also walked briskly towards it because the little man that I knew to be Ron was standing beside it, a few second later Harry joined us. Suddenly as we began to walk towards the lifts two very bad things happened at once. First one of the Death Eaters came up and told Ron, who he thought was Reg, that he needed to sort out his office where it was raining. In the process he also revealed that Reg's wife was awaiting trial as a Muggle Born, and asked why Reg wasn't with her. I felt instantly horrible thinking of the poor women sitting alone wondering where her husband might be, but there was nothing we could do. I quickly gave Ron some tips on how to stop the rain in the office and then shoved him off in the right direction looking terrified. Harry and I got on the lift not sure what to do when suddenly things got even worse, the doors opened and in walked Umbridge! She grabbed me, apparently I was to be her record keeper for the trials with the Muggle Borns! I didn't know what to do… so I simply went with her, hoping against hope that Harry would be able to break into her office and find the locket on his own. The entire ride down to the court rooms Umbridge chatted about her sentencing of Muggel Borns almost jovially. I wanted to wring her chubby neck, my hand s trembled slightly but I kept my mind focused on Ron and Harry, and know that if I lost my temper I would be sacrificing their safety. The doors of the lift opened and a sickening cold washed over us, the hall was lined with not only the accused but also with dementors patrolling around them. Sorrow and despair washed over me as I thought about how if anything went wrong I would be in their place. I tried to fight it, but it threatened to take hold. Then I saw a couple sitting a little ways down on the bench the woman was crying softly but the man was holding her tightly as if to protect her from the unseen power of the dementors.
"I'm so sorry Jake… so sorry you have to go through all this trouble for m-m-me.." said the woman her voice trembling.
"Tanya…" he said softly to her, "you have nothing to apologize for, it's not you who have done anything to be ashamed of…" he glared harshly at Umbridge and I as we walked past, and then turned to kiss his wife firmly on the mouth.
"Ugghh… some wizards have no pride at all…" said Umbridge in disgust as she walked past them and into the court room, but as I followed her I felt my heart warming again, and my confidence coming back, they had reminded me that even if my fate did bring me to that hallway, I wouldn't be there alone.
To say the next hour was horrible would be an understatement. I have never felt as powerless and heart broken as I did that day. Watching the faces of so many innocents be brought forward, and sentenced to a life of darkness and despair for something they could not help. People just like me… I wanted to scream, to cry, but I couldn't. After sometime they brought in Mary Cattermole, once again my heart ached as they asked her about her husband and she cried that he hadn't met her. They asked her about her children and she begged to be allowed to go home to them. The Death Eater Yaxley spat at her that, the brats of Mudbloods did not stir their sympathies. I looked down at my hands and closed my eyes, the brats of Mudbloods…. And image swam to my eyes, a beautiful little girl with pale grey blue eyes and curly red hair, I didn't even know if she'd ever exist, but I knew I loved her…. Suddenly I was brought harshly back to reality by a disembodied voice which whispered in my ear, I jumped ferociously but luckily Umbridge and Yaxely were far to preoccupied to noticed. It was Harry, he's snuck into the courtroom under the cloak. I was now completely panicked, how in the world did Harry expect us to get out of here? Suddenly Umbridge leaned over the railing to say something severe to Mrs. Cattermole, and as she didn't I couldn't contain a squeak of excitement, the locket was hanging around her neck! Now we were really in it deep, how could we possibly steal the locket from around her neck and make it out of the Ministry without being caught? Suddenly Umbridge asked me for some documents, I jumped in shock and my hands trembled as I handed them to her. Then out of no where Harry stupefied her, and then Yaxely and chaos ensued. Harry ran to save Mrs. Cattermole from the dementors that were now attacking her, and screamed for me to get the locket. I grabbed it from Umbridge's neck, and began to make a fake to throw her off the track. Harry screamed for me to hurry and I explained what I was doing. I met up with Harry and Mrs. Cattermole, and Harry told me to make a Patronus so we could get past the dementors on the other side of the door. I tried hard to focus on Ron and say the spell but it didn't work. Harry gently and urgently encouraged me. Suddenly the face of the little red headed girl popped in my head, I thought it was worth a shot. I closed my eyes and focused hard on that little girl running into my arms, my heart filled with warmth as I said the incantation and a silver otter shot out of my wand. We charged down the corridor and took the lift to the Atrium, I saw the wizard that was Ron running towards us and was about to throw myself into his arms when Mrs. Cattermole beat me to it, it took me a second to remember that she thought this was her husband. I began to panic when we saw that people were sealing the fireplaces. We couldn't get trapped, I didn't want to think what would happen. Suddenly Harry yelled for them to stop, apparently he had figured out he was someone with influence, which he was now using, and to my relief they let us through to the fireplaces, but suddenly both the real Reg Cattermole and Yaxely came charging out of the lifts and there was a whole lot of shouting and confusion. In the chaos Ron grabbed Mrs. Cattermole, and dove into a fireplace and seconds later Harry grabbed me and did the same. When we got through Ron was wrestling with Mrs. Cattermole trying to explain to her that he wasn't her husband. Suddenly Yaxely appeared so I grabbed both Harry and Ron and tried to Apparate, unfortunately he caught my hair and held on I tried to kick him off but it was no use. When we landed on the front step of Grimauld Place he let go, so before he could blink I Apparated us again to the first place I could think of, the field where the Quidditch World cup had been held three years earlier.
We hit the ground hard, lights popped before my eyes but I struggled to sit up as quickly as possible. I felt my body go cold with fear as I looked at Ron who was lying next to me, he was covered in blood. It only took a second for me to realize what had happened, he had been splinched. It was my fault he was in this awful state. A second later Harry was beside me and I explained what had happened to him. I told him to quickly get me a bottle of dittany from my little bag, and asked him to open it because my hands were shaking so badly. Once I had healed Ron's wound as best I could I told Harry that I was fairly sure now that we had accidentally brought Yaxely to Grimauld Place the Fidelus Charm was broken and the Death Eaters could get in. I felt like crying, I felt so guilty but Harry re-assured me that it wasn't my fault and I had done well in saving all of our lives. As I was explaining to Harry where we were Ron began to wake up, I felt relief wash through me. We made the decision to stay where we were for the moment because Ron still looked very pale and weak. I went about putting protective charms around the area while Harry got the tent out. We set it up and then Harry and I helped Ron inside. I made us all some hot tea and we finally began to discuss what had just happened. Ron was beside himself with worry that the Cattermole's might not have made it out safely, as I watched him I was surprise to feel tears welling up inside me, they were not tears of sadness or pain, or even happiness just deep emotion. Seeing him lying on the ground covered in blood made me think for the slightest moment about what it would be like to truly lose him, and that made me appreciate just how desperately I needed him in my life. He was my whole world. Suddenly Harry addressed me and I jumped, I had completely forgotten that he was sitting on my other side. He had asked if I had it, and before I could register what he was talking about I asked him, "Got what?" he rolled his eyes and asked if I had got the one thing we had gone through all that trouble for. Ron sat up excitedly and asked in disbelief if we had really gotten it. I said in a slightly hurt tone that of course we gotten it that's what we were there for. And I pulled it out and handed it to him, it was as big as a chicken's egg, and I might have imagined it but it felt somehow heavier than it's should have proportionally. I handed it first to Ron and then to Harry, and Harry pointed out that before we could figure out how to destroy it, we needed to figure out how to open it. We each tried our best but couldn't even put a scratch on it, so in the end we resigned to keeping it safe until we could destroy it, Harry suggested he and I take turns on watch just in case and he slipped out the front of the tent to take the first shift. When he had gone outside I fell to my knees next to Ron, who was lying on the bottom bunk of a pair of bunk beds. I kissed his head slowly letting my lips rest against his skin and then I put my hand on the side of his face and looked into his eyes.
"Blimey 'Mione if I knew it would get me this kind of attention I get myself Splinched more often." Said Ron with a feeble smile.
"Stop it Ron… that's not funny…" I said softly.
"Hey…" he said realizing how upset I was, "I'm fine… really just a little weak, I've survived much worse than that Hermione."
"I know… I just… I can't lose you Ron." I replied looking desperately into his face.
"You're not going to. I'm never going to leave you Hermione… that's a promise." He said, and he kissed my hand.
"I know…now get some rest you need it." I said to him, and he smiled at me before lying back and closing his eyes.
Harry and I spent the rest of the day taking turns on watch. By evening we were all getting very hungry. The only thing I could find for us to eat was some wild mushrooms, and with nothing to cook them in I was resigned to frying them in a can until they were the consistency of rubber. I knew they were horrible, and Ron only managed a few bites. I felt really bad for both him and Harry but I was doing the best that I could. Harry took his second watch and I went to sit with Ron again. He looked up at me and smiled, he teased me that if that was the extent of my cooking skills he might have to reconsider our relationship so he wouldn't starve for the rest of his life. I shot him a withering glare and slapped his arm but he chuckled and told me that he was just teasing. He pulled me down to sit on the bed next to him and slipped his hand in mine.
"What do you think my family is doing right now?" said Ron softly.
"Oh your Mum is probably cleaning up from dinner, and your Dad is probably in the living room tinkering with some Muggle contraption and annoying her… No doubt the twins are closing up shop for the night and planning their newest bit of mischief. Bill and Fleur are probably cosied up in front of a fire… and Ginny… well to be honest I'd reckon Ginny's probably sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room wondering what we're doing right now."
Ron shifted his weight and put his head in my lap, and I instinctively began running my hands through his hair.
"How is it that it feels like a lifetime ago that we were in that Common Room…" he said.
"I expect that's how it works when you're on the run…" I said quietly.
Suddenly Harry was screaming, I jumped up and ran outside. He was lying on the ground panting. He tried to pass it off as a dream but I knew it was his scar, and I was furious. I told him he had to try to use Occlumency but he brushed me off and tried to tell me what had happened in the dream. I cut him off and told him coldly that if he was so tired he was falling asleep on watch then he should go to bed, then I sat down and promptly ignored him. He glared at me but then stormed in the tent. I could hear him whispering to Ron and I knew he was telling him about the vision. I was livid with him, I couldn't explain why but I knew those visions were a bad sign, but unfortunately there was nothing I could do.
The next morning we decided to move on. Harry and I had decided that staying in one place for too long was a very bad idea. We Apparated to the woods on the edge of a small town and I went right back to setting up all the enchantments around our tent. Harry went into town to get food and when he came back empty handed we asked him what was wrong. He said that there had been dementors and he couldn't produce a Patronus. I saw from the look on his face that something was very wrong, Harry had never had any trouble with his Patronus. Ron began to gripe that we still didn't have food but I told him to shut up, it was so like him to think of his stomach and ignore that there was something wrong with Harry. I gently asked him what had gone wrong, he had produced a Patronus fine the day before. He told me in a small voice that he didn't know. He looked so humiliated and sad. Ron kicked a table and snapped that he was hungry and still weak form his injuries. Harry snapped back that he could go fight his way through a hundred dementors. Ron said he would but he was injured. Harry accused him of using it as an excuse and Ron was about to counter when suddenly it hit me. I demanded Harry give me the locket, he looked confused but he did. The minute he took it off his face gained more color and he looked surer on his feet. I quickly and carefully asked him if he thought he'd been possessed and he thought about it but said no. He explained that Ginny had told him when she'd been possessed by the diary she had lapses in memory, and he remembered everything he'd done since he put it on. I suggested that maybe we shouldn't wear it, but Harry flatly refused saying he wouldn't let something so valuable just lie around. So in the end we decided to take turns wearing it, so it wouldn't affect any one of us too much. After a bit we decided to move again and we relocated to the far edge of a farm, and by that evening we were eating scrambled eggs and toast. The next few weeks seemed utterly miserable, the lack of food coupled with the wearing of the locket which seemed to give it's wearer deep bouts of depression and anger that were unrelated to their present feelings, were making the entire situation seem hopeless. Though neither Harry nor I were taking it near as hard as Ron, he seemed to become progressively gloomier as time went on. I knew that Harry was beginning to feel that Ron was simply expecting Harry and I to come with all the ideas and that it was annoying him, but at the same time I saw Ron's side of things. Ron had always felt as though Harry and I never really needed him, and as time went on I could see that he was beginning to question why he had even come along in the first place. I felt horribly bad for him, but I didn't know how to help him. The other frustrating aspect was that we had no leads on where we needed to go. We searched the area where Voldemort's orphanage used to be but there was nothing. We went over places again and again in our minds but none of them seemed to make sense. To make matters worse Harry was becoming more and more secluded and we knew he was having more visions. Ron and I were not sure how to help him, and spent the majority of our time having whispered conversations, about how in the world we were going to get him to open up to us, because at the time we felt like our mission couldn't go anywhere until he worked with us. A few weeks later while we were camped on the bank of a river we got some unexpected news. A group of travelers camped right beside us. Thanks to my charms they were unaware of our presence, but they unknowingly gave us some very interesting news. There were three wizards on the run and a group goblins. From their conversation we gathered that three Hogwarts students had tried to steal the sword of Gryffindor, one of them being Ginny. I looked up at Harry quickly and saw the fear on his face. The goblins went on to say that the Death Eater's had put the sword in Gringotts for safe keeping, but the most interesting piece of news, was that the goblins recognized the sword as a fake! Which meant the real one was still out there somewhere. We all ran back inside and I had a stroke of brilliance. If someone had indeed stolen the sword, Phineas Nigellus would have seen it because his picture hung right next to it. I pulled the painting out and tentatively called for him, as soon as he walked into the frame I blindfolded him, and after a few moments of vehement protesting he agreed to answer our questions. Harry of course immediately asked what punishment had been given to those who tried to steal the sword and we were both relieved to hear that their only punishment was to go with Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest. We asked him about the sword and we were overjoyed to find out that the last person to remove it was Dumbledore! We were certain that he must have hidden it for us, and put a fake in it's place, but now we had yet another puzzle to solve. Harry and I began talking excitedly trying to come up with where it might be, after a few minutes Harry turned to ask Ron's opinion and we realized he wasn't there. We looked over and saw him lying on his bunk, his face looked like it had been carved out of stone. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, because I had a sneaking suspicion that I knew where this was going. My fears were confirmed when he stood up and spat at us that we'd finally noticed he was there. Harry snapped at him that if he had a problem he'd better spit it out. As I heard the rain begin to fall on the tent everything the two of them had been bottling up poured out. Ron told Harry he was sick of sitting around with no clue what we were doing, of starving and having no plan. Harry yelled back that he thought Ron had known what he was signing up for, and if he wanted five star hotels and to be a hero he should go somewhere else. The fight turned to Ginny and Ron accused Harry of not caring about her safety. Finally Harry screamed at him that if he really wanted to leave he should just go, and to my horror Ron pulled his wand. I reacted quickly and put a shield between them, unfortunately I was on Harry's side of it. Harry coldly told him to leave the Horcrux, which was still around his neck. He wrenched it off and threw it on a chair and then turned to me. He asked me what I was doing, and I was totally bewildered. He asked if I was staying and I felt the familiar burning in my heart, he was really going to leave. I told him yes I was staying, I promised Harry. He looked at me with such anger and he said in short clipped words that I chose Harry, and then he walked out. I ran to follow him but I had to stop to take down my shield, by the time I got out the door I saw him turning on the spot and he disappeared. I screamed his name, I cried and cried. As hard as I had the previous year, he told me he wouldn't leave… he had promised. I walked numbly back into the tent and told Harry he was gone. Then I collapsed in a chair and sobbed. Harry didn't say anything he simply pulled the blankets off Ron's bed and threw them over me before climbing into his own. He had meant this to be a kind gesture but as I wrapped them around me I could smell Ron's scent and it was like a knife stabbing deeper into my heart, I cried until there were no tears left then I got up and moved to my bed on the other side of the tent. I changed into my pajama's and lay down. I felt like I was an Inferi, my insides were frozen, and felt as though all the warmth and happiness that was left in me had just Disapparated away into the darkness.
The next morning was cold, it felt like the cold had seeped through every part of me. As Harry and I packed I tried to go as slowly as possible. I knew that once we had left this spot, Ron would never be able to find us again, he would really truly be gone. I was hoping against hope that I might look up and see him walking towards us with a sheepish expression on his face saying he was sorry for being such a git. But by the time noon rolled around I knew that we had to leave, Harry took my hand and we Apparated to an empty hillside. As soon as we hit the ground I was overcome, I sunk onto a rock and let the sobs overtake me, I knew that he was really gone now, and there was no way for him to come back even if he wanted to. Harry began to silently put up the protective charms around us, and after a few moments I collected myself and helped him. The next few weeks were the worst weeks of my life, to this day I have not seen a darker time. The best way to describe it was that I was on autopilot, I walked and ate and talked but I didn't feel. Truth be told inside it seemed like I was really only half of a person, the only thing that kept me going was helping Harry with this mission, though in the back of my mind a thought had been growing. I didn't intend on making it out of this mission alive, this was now my purpose for going on, and I truly felt that once it was done, so was I. I never told Harry this of course, I knew he had enough to deal with, so I simply went on living as best I could manage. The days grew colder and soon Christmas lights could be seen. One night, after I had managed to knick us a fairly proper dinner from a supermarket under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry tentatively told me that he really wanted to go to Godric's Hollow. I told him I agreed and he looked shocked, I pointed out to him that it really seemed like the only place that Dumbledore would have hidden the sword. When he looked still confused I explained that Godric's Hollow was named for Godric Gryffindor. As I explained Harry smiled, it was a welcome sight, I had almost thought he'd forgotten how over the past few months. When I was talking about Hogwarts a History Harry reminded me that Aunt Muriel had told him that Bathilda Bagshot was still alive and lived in Godric's Hollow. Suddenly my stomach did a flip as I breathlessly told Harry that Dumbledore must have given her the sword! He seemed hesitant at first, but then he agreed with me. He wanted to leave for the hollow the following day but I refused, I had a feeling that the Death Eater's would definitely be looking for him there. So I made sure we had hair from random Muggles for the Polyjuice potion, and that we were very confident in Apparating and Disapparating under Harry's Cloak. It was bitterly cold on the night that Harry and I Apparated onto the outskirts of town. The snow was thick and I was just about to work out how we would get rid of our prints when Harry said we should take off the Cloak, I was hesitant but he pointed out that we didn't even look like ourselves so it wasn't that big of a risk. As we walked through the town square we heard the sound of carol's coming from the church and I thought it was Christmas Eve. It was surreal that we could have actually forgotten such a holiday. I tried my hardest not to think about the Weasley's all sitting around the fire listening to Mrs. Weasley's favorite singer doing her Christmas special. I pointed out the graveyard behind the church to Harry. I took his hand as we walked towards it, I knew that this was going to be the first time that he ever saw his parents grave, and I wanted him to know I was there for him. We walked slowly into the graveyard and split up, looking for his parent's grave. We searched in the darkness for quite awhile finding many names that seemed familiar but in the end it was me who found them. Harry came and stood beside me, he was very quiet and after a few minutes I noticed that he was crying. I took his hand in mine and squeezed it tightly, and he returned the pressure. I realized in that moment that Harry was probably the one person in the world that kept me connected, I had always been an only child but I wagered that Harry was the closest thing to a brother that I would ever have, I would have done anything to keep him safe. He turned away from the grave and put his arm around my shoulders, I slipped mine around his waist and we walked together back out of the graveyard. Suddenly Harry stopped, I asked him what was wrong and he said that someone was watching us. I felt my heart constrict in fear and I pulled my wand. Harry reminded me that we looked like Muggles, but I reminded him that we had just been at his parent's grave. We looked in the direction Harry had seen the movement and saw a bit of snow fall off a tree. Harry said it was probably a cat or bird. He pointed out that if it had been a Death Eater we would have already been dead and I had to agree. All the same we were very keen to get out of there. We walked quickly out of the village in the opposite direction from which we had entered. I was beginning to panic as I asked Harry how we would find Bathilda's house but he wasn't paying attention, he was staring of into space. I pulled on his arm but he simply urged me to look in the same direction as him, I turned and realized what I was seeing. It was Harry's house, or his parents house. Harry reached out and gripped the gate, as he did a sign rose from the ground. It explained what had happened on the sight, and it seemed that people had carved and graffitied it with messages to Harry, I was annoyed that they had defiled it, but Harry was happy, he was half way through telling me this when he stopped. A tiny stooped figure was shuffling up the lane towards us. She looked up at the house and then to our surprise beckoned to us! I whispered furiously to Harry asking him how she could know we were there under the cloak, and he shook his head in bewilderment. After another moment of hesitance Harry spoke and asked her if she was Bathilda, the woman nodded and Harry and I looked at each other quickly. We were both very frightened but we knew we had to go forward so we began to follow her back down the road. She brought us into her house, it smelled horrid like old age and death, she brushed past me and went into the next room. I was just telling Harry that I wasn't quite sure, that it didn't feel right when I heard a strange hissing noise from the next room. I jumped but Harry assured me it was all right and he went in. Bathilda was lighting candles and after she had almost caught her sleeve on fire at least twice Harry took the matches from her and finished the job. Suddenly he picked up one of the pictures. He began emphatically asking Bathilda who the man in the picture was but she seemed confused. I asked him what he was doing and he said that the man in the picture had been the man in his visions. I managed to contain my exasperation and went back to trying to ask Bathilda why she had brought us to her house. She ignored me and pointed to Harry and then the stairs, but as we made to move she shook her head at me. Harry pointed out that apparently she didn't want me to come, this made me very wary but Harry said Dumbledore may have wanted the sword to be given only to him. I was very ill at ease but I acquiesced and they headed up the stairs. I stood for a few moments looking around the room suddenly there was a loud thump from upstairs. I ran to the foot of the stairs and called Harry's name tentatively, he didn't answer. I made my way up the stairs and was almost to the first room as a huge snake slithered out the door and attacked me. I sent a spell at it but it missed as I dived out of the way. I jumped up again and ran for the room, but the snake was between me and the door so I sent a stunning spell at it and it flew into the wall. The room was utter chaos as the snake thrashed and writhed around us. I screamed as Harry grabbed my arm and yanked me hard onto the bed I shouted another spell which bounced around the room exploding things as Harry grabbed me and took a running leap through the window. My scream mixed with his, I managed to twist our bodies as we fell and the last thing I saw before we Disapparated was a bone white face peering out the window it's blood red eyes full of fury. We landed on the ground outside the tent and I instantly knew something was wrong. Harry was writhing shouting random things that didn't make sense. The Horcrux wouldn't come off his chest, it was as if it was welded there. In the end I had to use a Severing Charm to get it loose. I used a Hover Charm to get him into his bed and then did my best clean the snake bite but he was still writhing and shouting. I sat with him until just before morning when he finally began to wake. I explained to him what had happened. He explained to me what had happened in that room, apparently the snake had taken over Bathilda's body, she was dead. The reason the snake wouldn't speak in front of me is because it was speaking to Harry in Parseltongue. I was horrified to think of a snake being in someone's body. Harry asked me about his wand and my heart constricted. I held up his wand to him, it was broken in two. He gasped for me to fix it, and I told him I didn't think I could but he insisted. I tried, but as soon as I had mended it and he tried to use it, it broke again. I felt so horrible, I wished there was something I could do. The worst part of it was that he spoke to me in a flat monotone, I wished he would just scream at me for letting it break, it would have been easier than his cold indifference. In the morning I woke up feeling completely empty, all I had left was Harry and now he was angry with me as well. I made us two cups of tea and took one to Harry, I decided to try a peace offering. While waiting for him the previous night I had found a copy of the horrid book Rita Skeeter had written about Dumbledore, and I noticed that the man Harry was questioning Bathilda about was on the cover with Dumbldore, so I snagged the book. I now offered it to Harry and asked him in a small voice if he was still angry with me. He told me in a gentle way that he wasn't, he knew his wand breaking had been an accident, and he even managed a half hearted smile. Once I knew everything was put right between us I focused on looking at the book with him. What we found out in that book was something that still haunts me to this day in some ways. The wizard in the photo with Dumbledore had been none other than Grindewald, one of the most famous Dark Wizards next to Voldemort. It was widely known that Dumbledore had defeated him later in his life, but from what was written in the book it seemed that when they were young they had been very close friends, and what was worse still, excerpts from a letter written by Dumbledore to Grindewald, seemed to show that at one point Dumbledore seemed to hold the same dark and cruel philosophies as Grindewald and many of the Death Eaters. I could see in his face that Harry was taking this information very hard, I tried desperately to point out that the source was Rita Skeeter, and even if she hadn't put a spin on the information Dumbledore was young and he had obviously changed later in his life, but I realized this was the final straw and that Harry had broken. He yelled that he didn't know who Dumbledore was or who he had loved but it wasn't him. That he had left him in this mess without ever telling him the whole truth, and that he had been more honest with Grindewald than he had ever been with him. His voice trembled as he took my wand and said he would sit down to finish the watch. I wanted desperately to help but I knew there was nothing I could do. I walked quietly back into the tent, feeling the emptiness inside me more acutely than ever before. Life didn't seem real anymore, just a meaningless stream of dangerous situations and disappointments. I took my shift at midnight and as I sat in the bitter cold and darkness I felt as though my surroundings were ironically similar to what I felt inside dark cold nothingness that stretched on with no known end. I was relieved when Harry came out shortly later and suggested we pack up and move somewhere more sheltered. We Apparated to a small forest glade, and while it was still bitterly cold it was at least protected from the wind and snow. We set up camp again and spent the rest of the day there. I was still very worried about Harry who had obviously not completely recovered from the incident with the Horcurx. That night I offered to take the watch but Harry flatly refused, telling me I needed sleep. I had been taking more and more night watches because trying to sleep was becoming more and more difficult for me. Every time I closed my eyes the bone white face with it's red eyes swam before my minds eye, and my last thought before we Disapparated continued to haunt me. It was that of relief, I thought, "finally it's all going to be over." Of course we had lived, but in that moment I realized that there was a part of me, that thought death would probably be better than what we were enduring at the moment. As I dozed off that night I remember my last thought being the same one it had been every night for the past month, why did you leave me? You promised…
I awoke groggily because Harry was calling my name. I sat up and looked around at him. At first I was worried that something was wrong, but he seemed happier than I had seen him since our journey had begun. He told me nothing was wrong but that he had brought someone with him. I began to ask who it was but the words stuck in my throat as he came through the tent flap. It seemed as though everything was in slow motion. I had forgotten until that second just how beautiful Ron Weasley was. I moved towards him slowly unable to comprehend that it was really him. I stood right in front of him and looked up into his perfect face and suddenly everything came pouring out of me. I began to hit him as hard as I could, I couldn't believe he had left me, made me feel all those horrible things and I screamed those exact words at him. He tried to apologize but I yelled that I didn't want his apology. He tried to explain that he had wanted to come back the second he had left but he had been caught by Snatchers, which were basically the equivalent of bounty hunters and by the time he had gotten away we had moved on. I was still fuming so I sarcastically mocked him, saying all we'd done was go to Godric's Hollow almost get killed by a snake, and almost have a run in with You-know-who himself, but Ron was right his getting captured by Snatcher's and losing a few fingernails in a botched Disapparation was much worse. I really at that point had no interest in talking to him, but I was also curious so I gruffly asked him how he had found us that night and he told us that apparently Dumbledore's Dilluminator that he had given Ron also had the ability to help him find us if we said his name. I blushed remembering that the first time we'd said his name was when we'd been talking about Harry's wand on Christmas Eve and I was reminding him that when Ron's wand broke in half in was unreparable. The boys went on to tell me the story of how Harry had followed the silver doe into the woods. I told him it must have been a Patronus and he agree but said he didn't who sent it. He told me how he found the sword in a pool but when he tried to get it out the locket had almost drown him, and Ron had to save his life. They then told me that it was Ron who had destroyed the locket. I could tell from the way they said it that there was more to the story than they were telling me but I let it go because I was still very angry with Ron. Yet as they handed me the ruined Horcrux I couldn't help but feel a great swell of pride towards him as well. In the end we all decided it was time for bed, so the boys went into there side of the tent and I retreated to mine. Ron made a teasing comment about how at least I didn't sick birds on him this time, and I snapped that I hadn't ruled it out yet, but as I lay down I could already feel the warmth coming back into my heart.
It was about one in the morning and I still hadn't gotten to sleep. My initial fury with Ron was subsiding, and while I was still very angry I was also beginning to feel the waves of relief and comfort in knowing that he was back, and what was more knowing he had hated being away from me just as much as I had hated being away from him. Suddenly I heard movement and I looked up to see Ron sneaking towards my side of the tent. I realized one of the reasons it had seemed so quiet is that I had not heard Ron's deep snores. He must have not been able to sleep either. I sat up and glared at him and when he saw I was awake he cast a muffliato charm over us and sat down in front of me looking sheepishly.
"Are you ever going to forgive me?" he said meekly.
"What makes you think you deserve it?" I said severely, but even as I was speaking I noticed he was shivering so I pulled one of the blankets off my bed and wrapped it around him. He looked up at me with such a soft vulnerable expression, and I felt my heart melting in spite of myself.
"Hermione…. When I realized I couldn't get back…it was the worst feeling I'd ever had. I didn't go back to the Burrow, I couldn't face Mum and Dad. I went to Bill and Fleur's. But 'Mione I couldn't eat, and I couldn't sleep, I didn't feel like a whole person anymore. One thing kept playing over and over in my mind, it haunted me… even in my dreams. Do you know what it was?"
"What." I said.
"The last glimpse I got of your face before I Disapparated. It was the same look you had last year when you saw me with Lavender. I had betrayed you… again. And I could barely live with myself knowing that, I've once again proved beyond a shadow of a doubt how much I don't deserve you…" Ron let his voice trail off and looked down at his hands, he sat there quietly for a very long time.
I was a jumble of emotions. Part of me wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him I loved him and everything was forgiven. Yet everything wasn't magically forgiven, and another part of me refused to let him off that easy. I sat there in silence trying to decide what I wanted to say.
"You left me…." I said finally, it seemed like such an obvious statement but I felt like the only way I was going to work out my feelings was by saying them out loud.
"I know." He said, his voice was so tiny I barely heard it.
"You promised me you wouldn't leave…. You promised…" I felt tears coming to my eyes.
"I know Hermione…and you have to believe me I hated myself every second of everyday for breaking that promise." He looked desperately at me, "The one thing that this whole experience has taught me is that I never want to be away from you again. You are my whole world Hermione, I'm nothing without you."
"Oh Ron…"I muttered, it was all I could come up with in that moment. I loved him so much, and I knew in my heart he was already forgiven, but I was determined to make him understand that he wasn't going to just get away with doing things like that.
"Ron you know I could never be without you… you're my whole world too. But that doesn't mean I'm just going to forget what happened. You're not off the hook just yet."
He looked at me somberly, and nodded his head.
"So until I say otherwise Ronald Weasley you are officially, in the doghouse, as my Mum always used to say." I gave him a reluctant smile which he returned.
"My Mum always called it banished to the broom cupboard, whenever Dad did things to really set her off…" said Ron still smiling.
"Well then consider yourself banished to the broom cupboard." I said still trying to sound reproachful, but I knew my voice had softened. I reached out my hand and he took it immediately and kissed it firmly. He pressed it to his face and closed his eyes tight, my heart skipped a beat as I realized how desperately he must have missed me. As if reading my thought he spoke.
"I missed you so much 'Mione…" he whispered.
"Good."I said, with a smirk, "now go to bed."
"Ok…." He said with a small smile, and he walked back towards his bed.
I rolled over with my back to where he and Harry slept and for the first time in a very long time, I felt happiness.
Over the next few days I was admittedly very sore at Ron. I decided the best way to deal with him was to ignore him a much as possible. It was the best punishment I could think of, and after a little while I realized it came with the added benefit that Ron was being more attentive and thoughtful than I had probably ever seen him be. At the same time I was hatching an idea in my mind and after a couple days of pondering I decided to run it by Harry. I wanted to visit Xenophilius Lovegood. He was Luna's father, and the reason that I wanted to see him had to do with a particular symbol. Harry and I had first noticed it scribbled on one of the pages of the Tales of Beedle and the Bard, and then I had noticed it again in the book on Dumbledore, it seemed that when Dumbledore was young he had used it in his signature in place of the A. This also reminded me of something Harry had told me about the wedding. Xenophilius Lovegood had been wearing that symbol as a medallion, and it had apparently made Viktor very angry because it turned out it was also Grindelwald's symbol when he was at the height of his power. I felt as though the symbol popping up that many times could not be mere coincidence, and the only person who could help us understand what it was, was Xenophilius Lovegood. I told this plan to the boys and Ron was of course on board immediately, though I knew he was only doing it to get back in my good graces. Harry was worried about another incident like Godric's Hollow, but Ron pointed out that Lovegood was on our side, he had been speaking out in favor of Harry in his newspaper ever since we had been on the run. In the end Ron decided we would put it to a vote, and I could barely contain a smile as he shot his hand up in favor of the idea even faster than mine did. He was quite determined to win my favor back.
We put our plan into action the next day. It was strange to be so close to the Burrow and not be going there. I missed it with it's chaos and clutter it had really become like a second home to me. We marched into the hills beyond the Burrow and it took us a few hours to find Luna's house, if you could call it a house. It was more of a castle turret sticking out of the ground. As we walked through the yard full of odd plants I felt a surge of excitement, it would be good to see and old friend again. I warned Harry to take off his Invisibility Cloak, knowing that it was him that Mr. Lovegood would be most keen to help. We knocked on the door and within seconds Mr. Lovegood threw it open, but I was immediately concerned. He looked wild and terrified and it seemed to take him a moment to even realize who we were. Even after he had recognized us his welcome was less than friendly, for a second I thought he might not even let us in but then he begrudgingly shoed us into the house all the while muttering under his breath. The house was very odd and quirky, just like it's inhabitants. When we got to the second floor where it seemed the Quibbler was produced I couldn't contain my gasp of fright. Mr. Lovegood had a large grey horn on the wall that he claimed was from a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, but I pointed out that I knew it was an Erumpent Horn. Ron immediately edged away from it knowing like I did that Erumpent horns were notorious for exploding violently at the slightest touch. I tried to point this out, but Mr. Lovegood dismissed me and went back to asking Harry what we were doing there. Ron made his way over to me and we looked at each other in concern. I had the same feeling growing in me that I had in Godric's Hollow, something was not right. Mr. Lovegood was clearly afraid of something, and more than that where was Luna? I was sure she would have come bouncing in excited to see us by now. After a few more minutes I asked that very question and Mr. Lovegood said quickly she was down by the river fishing for Freshwater Plimpies, and he used fetching her as an excuse to go running out of the room. Ron griped that he was being a filthy hypocrite for being so hesitant to help Harry after he had used his newspaper as a soap box to encourage everyone in the wizarding world to do just that, and I agreed with him. Yet Harry pointed out that he was probably just concerned for Luna's safety. I watched as Harry stared wistfully out the window in direction I knew the Burrow was and I didn't have to wonder what he was thinking about. Spending the last month without Ron had given me a profound new prospective on how heart wrenching it must have been for Harry to have to be away from Ginny. It had also given me a new respect for him, knowing the strength it must have taken to push her away for her own safety. He turned away from the window and we began to examine the room. Harry had just begun examining a rather ridiculous looking head dress of some sort when Mr. Lovegood came back up the stairs. He saw what Harry was looking at and proudly proclaimed it was his newest invention. It was something to do with removing Wrackspurts, no doubt another strange creature no one else had ever heard of. He offered us each a cup of some strange looking purple liquid and then we got down to business. He asked us what he could help us with and we told him about the sign, he told us it was the sign of the Deathly Hallows. We asked him what exactly those were and he asked us if we had ever heard the Tale of the Three Brothers. Ron and I said yes immediately, I knew the story because it was in the Tales of Beedle and the Bard, it was the exact story where I had noticed that sign. Mr. Lovegood asked me to read the story so I did.
This is a very abridged version of that tale;
There were three brothers walking along a road at twilight, when they came to a river that was to wide and deep for them to cross, but they were magical so they made a bridge and crossed safely. Death came to them and was angry he had been cheated of their lives but he was cunning so he pretended to congratulate them on besting him, and offered them as a reward anything they asked for. The oldest brother asked for a wand that was more powerful than any other wand in existence. The middle brother asked for a stone that would bring others back from Death. Yet the youngest brother was wise, and he did not trust Death so he asked something that would allow him to go forth and not be followed by Death, so Death reluctantly handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility. The first brother took his wand into many duels and won, but after some time because of his boasting about its power, someone stole it from him while he slept and slit his throat, and Death claimed him. The second brother used the stone to bring back his lost love who had died but with time he realized she was sad and depressed because she did not belong to this world any longer, so he decided to kill himself to be with her properly because he could no longer stand the pain, and Death claimed the second brother. Yet the third brother lived a long and full life and only when he was an old man, and ready to die did he remove the Cloak, and Death greeted him as an old friend and they departed together gladly.
After I had finished the tale Mr. Lovegood went on to explain that the Deathly Hallows was the combination of these three items, the elder wand of power, the resurrection stone, and Death's Cloak of Invisibility. When combined they were supposed to bring the bearer the power to conquer Death. I looked at him incredulously as I realized that he actually thought this story was true. He scoffed at me and told me that Luna had warned him I was narrowed minded. I was slightly annoyed but I was used to people saying such things to me. I started to gently point out that we all knew things such as Invisibility Cloaks exist, and I was about to go on and say that Resurrection Stone and Elder wands were fairy tales, when he cut me off. He said that Death's Cloak of Invisibility would be unlike any cloak known to man. It was a cloak that rendered a person completely Invisible and would never fade, and could withstand any spell that might be cast to make it reveal its wearer. My heart skipped a beat as Harry, Ron, and I met each others eye. We all knew that we had huddled together under a cloak exactly as the one he was describing more times than we could count. My heart was beating slightly faster as I acquiesced to him that the cloak could exist but I moved on to the stone, pointing out that the idea of a Stone that could bring people back from the dead was completely ridiculous. His retort was that I couldn't prove it didn't exist. I threw my hands in the air completely exasperated and said that was insane, that you could just go around believing every wild tale was real if the only proof you needed to validate it was inability to prove it's non-existence! Somehow he seemed to think I was agreeing with him, and that he had won the argument. Harry quickly changed the subject to the Elder wand in hopes of quelling an argument. Mr. Lovegood quickly pointed out that this was the easiest to trace through history due to the bloody path of duels it left as it changed hands. I was still very skeptical but I kept my mouth shut. They continued talking but suddenly I remembered something so I chimed in. I asked Mr. Lovegood if the Peverell family had anything to do with the Deathly Hallows. He looked at me with admiration as he explained that the three Peverell brothers Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus were rumored to be none other than the three brothers of the story. Ron asked me how I had come up with that name and I explained that I had seen it on one of the graves in the graveyard where Harry's parent's were buried, along with the symbol. Mr. Lovegood quickly changed the subject and invited us to stay for dinner so we could see Luna, he then went down to the kitchen to begin preparing it. Harry asked both Ron and I what we thought of the story, I told him that it was a pile of rubbish, and Ron agreed saying it was simply a fairy tale, and Lovegood was batty to believe it. I told him I agreed with him, and then went on to say it was obvious which gift you were supposed to pick. To my surprise we all spoke and I (of course) said, "the cloak", Harry said, "the stone" and Ron said, "the wand". We all looked at each other with slightly amused faces. I had a feeling I knew why Harry would choose the stone, so I didn't press it, but I was curious why Ron chose the wand, so I asked. He said that Invisibility Cloaks were all well and good, but if you had an unbeatable wand it was a moot point. I pointed out that the whole moral of the story is that power like that attracts trouble, but he said it only attracted trouble if you went about publicizing it. He had a point, but I also wondered aloud if it would really be possible to keep a thing that powerful a secret. I pointed out that of all the things Lovegood had said, the one true thing was that throughout history there were tales of a Deathstick, or Wand of Destiny that could win any duel, but we all agreed that the idea of an Elder wand made my Death was still a bit too far fetched. Ron changed the subject and asked Harry why he'd choose the Stone and as I'd expected Harry talked of bringing back Dumbledore, Sirius, his parents…. I felt so bad for him, it seemed like almost everyone he loved was already gone. I could understand why the stone would hold so much appeal. He quietly asked me if I thought it could exist and I gently told him no. Stones couldn't bring people back from the dead. To my relief Ron changed the subject again and pointed out how until Lovegood had mentioned it he had never realized how unique Harry's Invisibility Cloak was, and that none of us could deny that it was, in a word, perfect. I told him I agreed with him on that, but that it didn't make it Death's Cloak, and even if it existed the stone didn't. He and I began bickering softly back and forth. I almost smiled in spite of myself, even thought we were bickering, Ron and I felt like our old selves again. Things almost seemed semi normal for a few moments. Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw Harry climbing the stairs to the next level, I called to him that he really shouldn't be looking around when Mr. Lovegood wasn't there but he ignored me. A minute or so later Harry came quickly down the stairs looking afraid, I asked him what was wrong but he walked directly over to Mr. Lovegood who had just come up from the kitchen and asked him very directly where Luna was. I felt the familiar swoop in my stomach; it was obvious that something was very wrong. Mr. Lovegood tried to say again that Luna was at the river, but Harry pointed out that he had only made the tray up for four people. My heart began to pound as Harry said that Luna's room looked like it hadn't been slept in for weeks at least, and he asked Mr. Lovegood why he kept looking out the window. In a flash Lovegood dropped the tray but we were too quick for him, we all had our wands out before he even got his hand in his pocket. Just then the printing press in the corner spilled copies of the Quibbler all over the floor and I picked one up curiously. Harry's face was plastered to the front with the title, Undesirable Number One, the name the Death Eaters had given him. Then it all came out, Lovegood said the Death Eaters had taken Luna and that he was hoping they might give her back, if he gave them Harry. Ron and I stepped in front of him to protect him and Ron said in a deadly voice for Lovegood to get out of the way and let us leave. Harry was just about to tell him that we would hurt him to get out if we had to when I saw shadowy figures flying in on brooms and I yelled to both boys. Harry threw himself at Ron and I, knocking us out of the way of Lovegood's Stunning Spell, but the misdirected spell hit the Erumpent horn instead. The following explosion was like nothing I had ever experienced I came to seconds later and found myself wedged under a bit of the printing press. I heard Lovegood down stairs arguing with the Death Eaters who seemed to think he had tricked them to try and hurt them in a booby trap. For a second I thought we were off the hook, until one of them did a spell that revealed there were other humans in the upper level. Now we were really in it thick, I had to think quickly. I knew if the Death Eaters didn't see that Harry was there, they would most likely do something horrible to Luna to make Mr. Lovegood pay for deceiving them. I quickly crawled out of the debris and Harry and I worked on freeing Ron who was stuck under a dresser, by the time we had gotten him out I had a plan. I looked at them both and asked them if they trusted me. They said yes, so I told Ron to put on Harry's Invisibility Cloak, and grab my shoulder and then I took Harry's hand. I blew a hole in the floor and the three of us fell through. I waited for the dust to clear just enough for the Death Eaters to see us slightly and then turned on the spot with all my might pulling us into the crushing darkness.
We landed on the edge of a field, and I immediately began setting up the enchantments. I explained to the boys why I had let the Death Eaters see Harry, and Ron asked me why I had covered him with the Cloak. I pointed out that he was supposed to be at the Burrow dying of Spattergoit, and the Death Eaters had just proven they had no problems taking the family of subversives. Ron quickly asked about my parents but I assured him they should be safe in Australia. He looked at me in awe and called me a genius, and Harry quickly reiterated his sentiments. I felt myself blushing as I smiled but then I remembered Luna and my heart sunk like a rock. Ron said she was probably in Azkaban, and we all felt horrible but Harry pointed out that Luna was tough, and with a small grim smile he teased she was probably teaching the inmates about Wrackspurts and Nargles. That night our damp old tent never felt more like home, Ron made us all tea and we sat around discussing what had happened that day. To my surprise both boys seemed far too keen on believing that the Deathly Hallows were real. They started coming up with all the useful things we could do with any of the three, well two technically because we had at least the equivalent of the third already. The more I tried to point out that it wasn't real, the more they ignored me. I was especially concerned for Harry, there was something in his eye that was distinctly unsettling to me, I didn't think getting hung up on the Deathly Hallows was going to be good for him at all. In the end he changed the subject to the Peverell family and I gratefully told him that they were one of the Wizarding families who were now extinct in the male line, meaning the name had died out. Suddenly Harry perked up and told us that Marvolo Gaunt, Voldemort's grandfather, had been a descendent of the Peverell's, Harry had seen him boasting about it in Dumbledore's Pensive. He had had a ring with a large stone that had the Peverell coat of arms, which Harry said might have been the same sign, but he couldn't quite remember. Suddenly the words, a large stone, sunk in for both boys and their faces filled with excitement. Harry pointed out that Dumbledore had had the ring, and he had cracked it in half because it was a Horcrux and had to be destroyed. Before I knew it Ron was actually asking if Harry thought the Resurrection Stone would still work if it was broken in half. I stopped them right there, I told them there was no such thing as a Resurrection Stone and that Harry was trying to make things fit together that didn't. He retorted that they did fit on their own and then went back to talking with Ron. I began to get frightened, Harry had a look in his eye that I had never seen a half crazed gleam of something that seemed very unpleasant. I tentatively said his name but he ignored me, he began pacing. Suddenly he gasped that Dumbledore had borrowed his father Invisibility Cloak before his parents had died, he muttered something about studying it. I said his name again, but he simply shoved the letter Dumbledore had given him first year into my hands and continued pacing. Ron stood beside me now and looked at me in concern. Suddenly Harry's face lit up again and he said that Voldemort was looking for the Elder wand, then he continued pacing. I looked at Ron in real concern and he looked back just as worried. Suddenly Harry turned back to us and proclaimed that this was his new mission he knew it, that he had one (possibly two of the Deathly Hallows) recognition dawned on his face yet again as he said that Dumbledore must have put the ring in the Snitch. Finally I grabbed him determined to talk some sense into him, I told him that he was getting carried away and making connections that weren't there. That Dumbledore wanted him to go after Horcruxes, not chase down fairy tales. He seemed so determined I was terrified I would never get through to him, I looked desperately to Ron for help, for him to back me up. Harry also looked at him, no doubt hoping for validation. Ron looked back at both of us uncomfortably. He consented that pieces of it fit together and I felt frustration rising inside me, but then he told Harry that he thought we were supposed to look for Horcruxes, and that he should forget about the Hallows. Harry looked severely disappointed but I could have run across the room and kissed him. I told him thank you and then promptly said I'd take the first watch. I sat outside the tent with such a mixture of feelings inside me. I was so angry at Harry, I felt like he was constantly making things harder on himself and everyone around him. At the same time there was a very deep warm burning feeling in my heart that I had never felt before towards Ron, he had stepped up that night. He had stood beside me when I needed him, he had been strong, the man that I needed him to be. Just as I was thinking these things I felt the tent open behind me, and Ron's hand on my shoulder. Suddenly I had a random impulsive burst and in one swift motion I grabbed his hand, stood up and pulled him into the shadow of a large tree that was next to the tent. I saw and hint of surprise and shock in his face as I did so but then I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. It was not a kind of hug I had ever given before, I wanted him, wanted to touch him, to hold him. I entwined my fingers through his hair and nuzzled the side of his neck. His breathing quickened as he put one hand on the small of my back and the other in my hair, and he pulled our bodies ever closer together. He ran his fingertips from my jaw line all the way down my neck to my collar bone, I held my breath as he slowly leaned down and gently began to kiss my neck. I curled my toes as a warm tingly feeling like electricity began to spread through my body. I breathed his name and then using all my self control I pulled away.
"Let's slow down a bit." I whispered in his ear.
"Ok…" he said with a smile, and we sat back down in the entrance of the tent.
"So not that I'm complaining." Said Ron with grin, "but what in the world brought that on?"
I sat down in his lap and leaned back against his chest and sighed as he slipped his arms around me.
"I guess with everything that happened today… it just sunk in how happy I am to have you back." I said quietly, as to not wake Harry.
"So does that mean I'm forgiven?" Ron whispered in my ear and as he did he slowly kissed my ear lobe.
I bit my lip and closed my eyes. All the desires running through my mind were new and strange, but also exciting.
"Yes you're forgiven." I said softly.
"Well thank goodness for that." Said Ron with a chuckle, and we went back to keeping watch.
The next few months were strange to say the least. Ron and I were both terribly worried about Harry. He was becoming more and more reclusive and what was worse he seemed to have completely given up on looking for Horcruxes. He would join in our conversations but only enough to keep us off his back and he was becoming more and more surly and unreasonable. I felt as though he didn't care at all anymore and it made me furious wit him. At the same time Ron had decided to step into Harry's shoes and take up the role of leader, and while he was a bit more bumbling than Harry and had a tendency act before really thinking, I had never been more proud of him. It felt as though Ron and I were now the team that was actively looking for Horcruxes and Harry was the grumpy tag along. As surreal as it seemed I felt as though Ron and I were finally getting the honeymoon stage of our relationship that we had never had before, I was aware that none of the darkness or danger had lifted, but somehow having Ron beside me as not only the man I loved but my partner, was more than I could have ever hoped for.
March first dawned bright and chilly, but there was a hint of spring already touching the edges of the breeze. We had camped on the outskirts of a small fishing village that night, we were thinking of re-checking the cave in which Harry and Dumbledore had found the locket. I got out of bed just before dawn and looked over to where Ron was snoring loudly. I wrapped a jacket around me, and snuck out the tent entrance. Harry was sitting on the ground and he seemed to be carefully studying his Marauder's Map. I cleared my throat and he looked up at me, I asked him if I could borrow his Cloak to run into town and he handed it to me without barely looking up. I walked into town and managed to steal a loaf of bread, six eggs and a bunch of kippers. I put some money on a window ledge, I still felt bad about stealing, and then I hurried back up to where I knew our tent to be. I cooked everything as quietly as possible, and was very pleased when by eight o'clock I had a proper breakfast cooked up and on a tray which I brought inside the tent. Ron yawned and stretched, I suspected the smell of food had woken him.
"What's all this?" he said looking at the food and grinning as I brought him the tray, "breakfast in bed? What did I do to deserve that?" he hungrily took a bite of the toast.
"Do you honestly not know?" I said with a laugh, "It's March first…." I leaned over and ruffled his hair as I kissed him on top of the head. "Happy Birthday Ron Weasley." I said with a smile.
Ron looked up at me dumbfounded.
"I can't believe I forgot my eighteenth birthday!" said Ron in shock.
"Sorry I couldn't get you a better present." I said.
"Hermione do you know me at all? I good warm breakfast is the best present you could have ever given me!" Ron said with a grin, and I laughed in spite of myself.
A few days later we got a welcome surprise when Ron finally stumbled upon a radio station he'd been looking for ever since he got back. It was called Potterwatch and it was run by Lee Jordan. We all crowded around the radio to hear what news there was of the outside world. First they reported the deaths, and we were horrified out find out that Ted Tonks, and Dirk Cresswell had been murdered. They were two of the men who we had heard talking on the river bank. We were relieved to hear that at least Dean Thomas, the other wizard on the bank, and one of the goblins, seemed to have escaped. They reported the deaths of several Muggles, and also the death of Bathilda Bagshot, but of course we already knew about that. They went on to encourage all wizards to do their best to put protective charms on the Muggles living around them, and then we heard a voice which we all knew to be Lupin. I was touched deeply and felt the tears coming to my eyes as Lupin told the world to never give up on Harry Potter that he was strong at that he had every faith that Harry would do what was needed. He then went on to say that if Harry was listening he should trust his instincts because they were nearly always right. I looked up at Harry and knew he was feeling the same thing I was. Ron took that moment in interject that Lupin was now living with Tonks again who was apparently getting to be very big and pregnant. We got a welcome lightened mood as a voice that we were fairly sure was Fred came over the radio and began to jovially tell people not to believe all the hyped up rumors flying around about Voldemort. We found ourselves all laughing together, and to me it seemed like nothing had ever felt so cathartic. They ended the show by saying for everyone to stand strong, and stand together. We turned off the radio and I was feeling better than I had in months. Then Harry went right back into his talk about the Hallows. He began point out that Fred had said Voldemort was abroad, which meant he was still looking for the wand. As he did Ron shouted for him not to say the name, but he ignored it. After he did Ron looked at him wildly and yelled that there was a trace on the name. They could find us now! We didn't even have time to panic before we heard a low cruel voice from outside the tent tell us to come out with our hands up.
I thought fast. I sent a spell at Harry's face, there was a loud bang and white light but I was relieved to see his face was already swollen beyond recognition. They came into the tent and grabbed us roughly Ron shouted for them to let me go and they bashed him in the face I saw his blood splatter across the grass and I screamed desperately at them not to hurt him. A horrible looking man grabbed me and told me he'd do much worse to Ron if he was on his list. He ran his hand over me talking about how soft I was and then looked at Ron as if daring him to try something. The fury in Ron was making him tremble but I looked at him and silently pleaded for him to stay calm. They hadn't seemed to recognize Harry thankfully, but as they threw Ron and Harry on the ground and began to ransack our tent I knew this was the end. Ron and I had been found out, his family was no longer safe, and all of our things were now in the hands of the enemy, we would not make it out of this alive. They asked our names, and Harry said Dudley Dursley, I knew this would be safe enough. Harry's Muggle cousin wasn't bound to be on any list. Ron gave them the name Stan Shunpike, but that was no good. Stan had been Impiriused so they new him. He quickly changed it to Barty Weasley. I knew using his own last name was a risk, and sure enough they kicked him hard and called him a blood traitor, but I knew that name wouldn't be on their list either. I gave them the first name I could come up with Penelope Clearwater, she was Ron's brother Percy's girlfriend. I don't know where I got her name from but I was fairly sure she wouldn't be on any lists. They drug us over with what seemed like another group that they had captured, we heard the familiar voice of Dean Thomas. I felt a small bit of hope as Dean told us they were Snatcher's just looking for some quick gold. By some sheer turn of unbelievable luck the bogus story Harry made up about Dudley Dursley seemed to check out on the surface I thought we might actually be let go. Then they found the sword, I knew as soon as that sword was found there was no way we would be let go. Then someone pulled out a copy of the Prophet and as fate would have it my picture was on the front, a fact that the horrible dark man pointed out to me with a leer. I gasped that it wasn't me, and I felt myself beginning to tremble all over. On my right I felt Ron's hand close awkwardly over mine, do to the ropes holding us, I squeezed it tight. I truly thought this might be our end. One of the Snatchers pointed out that I was supposed to have been traveling with Harry Potter, and to my horror one of the others pointed to the now stretched but still visible scar on Harry's head. I closed my eyes and took and deep breath, this was it. Now it was truly over. The dark man told them to get us up, that they were taking us to the Malfoy Manor, to You-know-who himself.
As we walked down the path towards the Manor house I was so overcome with fear I could barely put one foot in front of the other. I had no clue what we would endure on the other side of that door but I knew it would worse than I wanted to imagine. A woman who could only be Draco Malfoy's mother answered the door, the dark man told her he had caught Harry Potter but she looked very skeptical. She told him to bring us into the parlor, she said Draco was home on Easter holidays and if anyone would know Harry Potter he would. We were drug down a long hall into a large room. Draco and his father were there. They told Draco to come look at Harry and positively indentify him, but Draco seemed unsure or unwilling. Just then his mother recognized me and almost simultaneously his father recognized Ron. I was filled with terror, but Draco once again was hesitant to confirm even though this time I was sure he had recognized us. Just then none other than Bellatrix Lestrange walked in the room. Even in our horrible situation I saw Harry shaking in anger as he looked for the first time into the face of Sirius's murderer. When they explained the situation to her she was chomping at the bit to call Voldemort there, and show him that they had found his prize. She was just about to do so when she stopped, she had noticed the sword. I realized with a growing sense of dread, that it must have been her vault where they stored the fake sword, and judging by her reaction she though we'd stolen it. She ordered us to be taken to the cellar, while she thought of what to do, but then a horrible look came over her face, and she told them to leave me, and take the other two. Ron immediately begged her to keep him instead, but she ignored him. He was drug from the room and I remember meeting his desperate eyes. I truly thought it would be the last time I saw his face. Bellatrix grabbed me by my hair and through me to the middle of the room.
"Do you have any idea what I will make you endure Mudblood?" she sneered, "tell me how you stole my sword, and I might consider killing you quickly."
I trembled from head to toe. My body was tingling in anticipation of the pain I knew was coming, but my blood boiled with rage. I would not be weak or cowardly. I raised my hand and beckoned her to me, she came close.
"Aww… what is it precious?" she jeered, "yes that's right… betray them to save your miserable Mudblood hide, no one expects any better of you…"
Her face was inches from mine, I looked at her with all the hatred in the world and spat directly in her face. Her fist slammed into my jaw and I saw white lights pop before my eyes. I heard her scream the curse, and then the only screams I heard were my own. Pain… unlike anything I had ever felt, each bone felt like it was burning from the inside, each muscle like it was slowly being torn apart. I couldn't breathe, or think. Then like a light at the end of a long tunnel I heard it, my name being shouted desperately over and over again. Ron… his face flashed before my eyes. The pain was suddenly gone and I lay panting on the floor looking up at Bellatrix.
"Did you really think you'd live happily ever after you stupid girl…" she whispered. "You and that filthy blood traitor would grow old together filling your hovel with disgusting half breeds. You make me sick the both of you. He's a disgrace to the name wizard, and you… well you're not worthy of the air you breathe…."
"Not to be rude…" I interrupted giving her a dry look, "but could we just get on with this…" I was surprised to hear the words come from my mouth, but as I stood, there was a new strength in me that I never even realized I had.
The pain came again, the feeling of skin being torn from bone and I screamed. Yet this time along with the pain was rage. I glared at my torturer my eyes full of hate as I screamed.
"You're nothing you little worm!" she screamed at me, "Give up now and die, it's the only thing left for you!" she pointed her wand at me with more intensity and the pain grew even worse. I collapsed again. I screamed at her that we found it, I hated myself for being weak but I couldn't take the pain. She eased up but screamed at me that I was lying, she demanded the truth and put the spell back on me. I screamed in agony, I wanted death, there was nothing to think of but the pain. And then once again, like my angel I heard his voice calling my name. I stopped screaming even through the pain. This infuriated Bellatrix, who grabbed me and threatened to run me through with a knife if I didn't tell her what else we took. I looked at her, and to this day, I have no clue how I had the strength to do what I did next, I laughed… right in her face. The pain was worse even still, worse than anything that could be described I heard myself screaming but it felt so far away, there was nothing I could do anymore. Suddenly she let up again. I lay panting on the floor but she pulled me to my feet. I swayed on the spot but got my balance, determined not to be weak.
"You have more strength in you than I would have thought Mudblood." She said softly, "pity you aren't a real witch…" the dark man kicked me and I fell hard on my knees and couldn't help but cry out.
As soon as I had yelled Ron was once again screaming for me.
"Such love…" sneered Bellatrix, "he would have happily endured this in your place, but no matter. I promise you Mudblood once you have died, I will make your love suffer in ways you can't even imagine."
Rage coursed through my veins and I used up all my energy and charged at her, I knew I would never even get close but I wanted to hurt her so badly. The force of the spell sent me flying I could hear myself screaming as I writhed in pain, but everything was going black. I knew it was the end I wondered what death was like, it didn't seem so bad… the pain was gone, I was warm, something soft wrapped around me. I could feel my body, I was lying on something. I couldn't be dead. Suddenly I felt sore all over as everything came rushing back. I let out a low groan and opened my eyes. I was in a small room and moonlight was trickling in from the window. I had no clue where I was the place was completely unfamiliar. Suddenly the door was opened and Fleur was standing in the doorway.
"'Ermionee!" she gasped, "oh you are awake! Thank zee heavens. We were so worried… here drink zees."
She handed me a cup of hot chocolate and as soon as I sipped it I felt the warmth returning to my body. I felt as though I had but through the wringer, and I'm sure I looked worse.
"Harry and Ron??" I gasped looking at her in concern.
"Eets fine, they are 'ere as well." She said gently.
Just then there was a loud thumping on the stairs that seemed to be outside the door and Ron was in the doorway. He stood there staring at me for a second and then he crossed the room in two large steps and swooped me into his arms. He hugged me fiercely simply repeating my name over and over again, I hugged him back tighter and tighter not caring that my bruises screamed in protest, I never wanted to let him go again. I began to cry out of happiness and sheer emotion, and when I pulled back I was touched to see he was crying as well. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Fleur quietly backing out the door and shutting it behind her.
"I thought I'd lost you…" he breathed, "I thought you were…"
"I'm not…" I said holding him close to me, "I'm not going anywhere."
He put a hand on each side of my face and pressed his forehead to mine.
"I'm never going to let anyone hurt you again Hermione Granger." He whispered, "I love you too damn much…"
I put my hand on the side of his face. I had thought I would never see him again, he had been the one thing that had kept me going in that house. My source of strength, to say he was my whole world didn't even seem strong enough. I felt my heart pounding as I tilted my head up and brought my lips to meet his.
"Wait.." he said pulling back to look into my eyes, "are you sure? I know you want it to be perfect."
"Ron… I thought I'd never see you again.. I'm not waiting one more second. It is perfect, because you're perfect." I breathed, and I once again moved my lips to his. His lips were soft as I pressed mine against them. I had never felt anything more perfect in my entire life. He gently broke the kiss off and put his arms around me.
"Hermione I have to tell you something…" he said gravely.
"what is it?" I said.
"The way we escaped from that house…" he said slowly, "it was Dobby… he saved us."
"Oh where is he??" I gasped, "I have to thank him!"
"He died 'Mione… Bellatrix stabbed him."
"No…" I gasped, "Oh no…." the sobs began to well up inside me as I thought back on the sweet little elf. Ron held me as I cried. He told me after a few minutes that Harry was getting ready to bury him in the back yard. I told him I wanted to be there, at first he seemed hesitant to let me out of bed, but in the end he helped me up and took me down the stairs. I was very happy to see that apparently Luna, Dean, Mr. Olivander, and a goblin named Griphook had also been rescued. We had a sweet little funeral for Dobby, and then all of us except Harry went back inside. Bill was explaining to us how he had evacuated the Burrow, now that the Death Eater's knew Ron was with us, when Harry walked back in. As he sat down and re-hashed a lot of our previous conversation with Bill Ron put his arm around me and held me close. I was so relieved to see them both safe and sound that I simply leaned against him and felt emotional exhaustion overwhelm me.
That night I lay in my bed staring at the ceiling. It should have been easy to fall asleep. I was beyond tired and the combination of the soft waves crashing on the rocks outside my window and the soft spring breeze that ruffled the curtains was very soothing, but my brain refuse to stop running in circles. Dobby's death, Bellatrix, the Horcruxes, the Hallows… I sighed deeply. I felt old… so much older than my years, I felt as though everything I had been through over the past twenty four hours had aged me twenty four years, or perhaps it was the fact that I wasn't sure from day to day how long I would stay alive. Living in the ever present fear of death did tend to make one grow up rather quickly I supposed. Yet here at the Shell Cottage I was perfectly safe, so why couldn't I sleep. Suddenly, I was creeping down the hallway in my home, I heard my parents voices from the living room.
But their must be some mistake… I mean Hermione can't be a-what did they call her again- a witch! She's so normal… my mother's voice said.
The white hot pain that had shot through my heart the first time I'd heard those words when I was eleven was back. I felt tears in my eyes, but this time instead of running back to my room and crying I moved forward. I peered around the doorway into the living room but as I did all the lights went out. I saw my mother standing with her back to me wearing her bathrobe. I was terrified but I approached her slowly. Trembling I reached out my hand, she whipped around and to my horror it was not my mother but Bellatrix Lestrange, the bathrobe had turned into swirling black witches robes and she cackled at me.
You have more strength in you than I thought you would Mudblood, she said again advancing on me just as she had the night before, pity you're not a real witch.
She grabbed me and pointed her wand at my heart.
"No…" I moaned, trying to fight her, "NO…. No…."
"'Mione!" came an urgent whisper.
I opened my eyes and realized the arms holding me were Ron's. He looked down into my face with a very worried expression. I realized I must have dozed off after all.
"Ron…" I said breathlessly, "What are you doing here?"
"I just came up to check on you… and you were moaning and crying…" he looked anguished as he said this.
"I'm fine Ron…. Just a bad dream." I said gently.
"Yeah… I expected you'd be having those for awhile…" he said still looking wretched, he brushed my hair back from y neck to examine the small cut that had been left by Bellatrix's dagger. Apparently while I was unconscious she had threatened to slit my throat. As he brushed my hair back suddenly a look of deep pain and horror flashed on his face. He pulled a strand of my hair from behind my ear and held it up to the moonlight. It was white, I had noticed earlier and quickly covered it with my other hair knowing how much it would kill Harry and Ron to see it.
"Oh my god 'Mione…" said Ron looking at my hair, and his voice broke I saw tears welling up in his eyes.
"Ron!" I gasped and I wrapped my arms tightly around him, he shook slightly as I held him, "Ron it's not your fault…" I whispered over and over rubbing his back.
"Why couldn't it have been me…." He said softly a moment later, he pulled away and looked out the window, a hard look coming across his face, "if I ever run into that fowl loathsome (he added a few expletives and for once I quite agreed) I will make her wish he had never breathed her first breath."
"hey…" I said, "not that I don't agree with your sentiment. But you and I are both still very much alive, and in one piece which is far more than I could have ever hoped for when we were in that house… so can we please focus on the good?" I slipped my hand into his.
"You're right 'Mione." said Ron squeezing my hand and kissing my forehead.
"Now you'd best get to bed… I'm sure you're dead tired…" I said smiling tenderly at him. To my surprise, at my words Ron turned a terrific shade of red, which I could see even in the pale moonlit room.
"Well… umm… that's the other thing I came up here to tell you… well ask you rather! Because it's totally up to you… I wouldn't if you didn't want to…" Ron faltered looking terribly nervous.
"What are you talking about silly?" I said with a smirk.
"Bill caught up with me on the stairs…" he said still looking nervous and refusing to meet my eye, "He said he knows you've been through a lot over the past few days… so he told me I could sleep up here with you tonight. Provided we don't do anything dodgy, and we never breathe a word of it to Mum."
He was still looking uncomfortably at the floor but he shot a quick look at me for my reaction. When he did he sat up to look at me full on and he grinned. I was sure I was wearing an expression as if Christmas had just come early. I was so excited I could barely contain it. I quickly pulled back my covers and ushered hi m into my bed. I noticed he was wearing sweat pants and also a sweat shirt.
"Aren't you going to be a bit warm sleeping in that?" I said eyeing him.
"Well…. Usually I just sleep in the sweat pants…" his cheeks getting pink again, "but I figured… since I'm sleeping… you know…"
"Ronald… first off, did you really think I was going to mind?" I said giving him a mischievous smile, "and second off you're going to sweat to death if you wear that…"
Ron gave a sheepish grin and then pulled his sweatshirt over his head and tossed it on the floor. I couldn't help but admire his pale skin. He definitely had filled out and now had a lot of muscle. His arms were well toned and he a broad chest and flat stomach. I bit my lip without thinking about it as I admired him. He grinned and scooted into bed next to me.
"About done gawking?" he said with a teasing smile as he slipped his arms around me and pulled me close.
To this day I'm not exactly sure who initiated all I remember is that the next thing I knew I was kissing him. It was a long slow kiss my lips gently moving over his. I ran my hand across his bare chest and he sighed happily. We broke apart and lay there staring at each other. I had never wanted or needed him so desperately. I felt like he couldn't be close enough, like I couldn't hold him tight enough. I kissed the spot right over his heart and he sighed again. I cuddled myself tight against him and he wrapped his arms around me holding me there. I put my mouth right by his ear as I gently whispered.
"I'm really glad you're here…"
"Me too…" he said but his voice was low and soft, it came out almost as a purr.
I kissed his ear softly and noticed his hands tighten around my waist. He pulled me back and looked me in the eye.
"Hermione…" he said with a hint of sternness in voice, "I promised Bill we would behave ourselves if I stayed with you. Please don't make it so bloody difficult to keep that promise."
"I didn't know I had that power…" I said with what I'm sure was an evil smile. His only response was to glare at me in disbelief.
I kissed him. Just a soft peck on the lips, then another. I knew I was doing exactly what he'd asked me not to, and I knew it was horrible of me. Yet I really liked this new found power I had over Ron. I kissed his cheek, his jaw, and then I nuzzled the side of his neck and began kissing it softly. He was holding me very tightly and after a moment I realized he must have been holding his breath.
"Right then…. Bill can bugger off…" he said in almost a growl, and with a sudden movement he had flipped me and was over top of me. I was in such shock that for a moment I didn't know how to react, but then he buried his hands in my hair tilting my head slightly upward as he began to roughly kiss every inch of my neck from my ear to my collar bone. I gave a small gasp of surprise but the wrapped my arms around him and pulled our bodies tighter together. Feelings flew around inside me like mad Bludgers banging around in my brain. Very grown up feelings, things I had never even considered doing before were now at the forefront of my mind. Yet somewhere in the back of my mind, amidst the chaos a small voice was poking at me. Don't get swept away Hermione, you're not ready yet… I sighed in frustration knowing the voice was right and I softly pulled away.
"Wait." I panted, suddenly realizing with a slight blush how heavily we were both breathing and how fast my heart was pounding.
"what's wrong?" said Ron also out of breath.
"You're right… we shouldn't do this now… you made a promise to Bill." I said.
Ron groaned and flopped back onto the bed next to me.
"You're killing me here Hermione…" he said exasperatedly.
I reached over a hand to comfort him and tell him I was sorry but he quickly brushed it away.
"Please don't… give me a minute." He said closing his eyes and taking a long deep breath.
I felt hurt. He was angry with me because I didn't want to.
"I'm sorry…. " I whispered, and I lay down and put my back to him. I was horrified to feel tears coming to my eyes, I was so emotionally on edge lately.
"Hey!" said Ron quickly as he sat up and rolled me over to face him, "Oh 'Mione please don't cry I'm not mad at you…. I just needed a moment to…*ahem* get calmed down… and you rubbing my shoulder would have made that difficult." He was a violent shade of red again.
"Oh…." I said feeling myself blush as well, "well umm… sorry about that I guess?" I said with a guilty smile.
"heh…" said Ron kissing my nose, "It's not like it was the first time you've had that effect on me…" said Ron with a smirk.
I sat up in bed and grinned back at him.
"Oh really? When exactly have I had that effect on you before?" I said.
"Truth?" said Ron who sat up to face me, we were sitting both cross legged on top of the covers grinning at each other. I was reminded of all the nights Ron, Harry, and I stayed up late in the Common Room talking about silly things after we finished our homework. It was so surreal to me that we could have just gone farther than I ever had before romantically and now sit here whispering and giggling like the best of friends that we were it was too perfect.
"Yes, truth." I said to him.
"Well you've had that effect quite often on me, especially over the past year… always happens at the most bugger awkward moments too…. Nothing as bad as the first time it happened though…." He said, I noticed he wasn't blushing anymore. It made me very happy that he was comfortable being this open with me.
"It was during our O.W.L.'s of all the bloody places…." He said, and I clasped my hands over my mouth to try unsuccessfully to contain a giggle, but he gave me a sheepish smile and continued.
"Yeah it was History of Magic. I remember I was sitting behind you and staring into space cuz I had finished. It was so bugger hot that day and you twisted your hair up off your neck and stuck a pencil through it and then you were using your wand to blow cool air on your neck… I remember watching those cute little curls at the base of your neck blowing… and then…." He shrugged and I giggled.
"That's random…" I said.
"Not as much as you'd think…." He said, and he reached over and pulled hair off my neck twisting it up into a messy ponytail and holding it there, "I love your hair up 'Mione. You have such a pretty neck…(he ran his hand down it)and you just look so… sexy." He said the last part with a shy smile, but I smiled back.
"So now that we're in the mood for full disclosure…" said Ron as he lay back on the bed. I lay down next to him and he entwined our hands. "If you don't mind, I'd like to know the first time you were ever attracted to me…. You know if you can remember."
"Oh I remember all right." I said with a smile, "You looked at me over the top of a bucket of slugs, and told me that Malfoy calling me Mudblood was a load of rubbish, and right before you bent back over the bucket to belch up more slugs I thought to myself that you had the most beautiful blue eyes I had ever seen."
Ron looked over at me his look half admiration, half disgust.
"Really…" he said, "That's the first time you were attracted to me?? Can we pick a different moment? Or at least tell people it was a different moment? When was the second time you were attracted to me?"
I threw my head back and laughed, a little too loudly. Ron quickly 'shhed' me, and we were silent for a moment listening to see if we were overheard but the house was silent.
"Nope…" I whispered in answer to his question (still giggling) "that's the moment I fell in love with you Ron Weasley and I wouldn't change it for the world."
Ron had stopped. He was looking at me with wide eyes.
"What did you just say?" he whispered.
"I said I wouldn't change it-"
"No the other part…" he interrupted.
"That's when I fell in love with you?" I asked curiously. He nodded.
"You've never said it…" he explained softly.
"Ron…" I said looking deeply into his face with all the tenderness in the world, "After all we've been through how could you not see how much I love you? I Love You…. Ronald Bilius Weasley. With all my heart."
"I love you too Hermione Jean Granger…" he said softly.
Ron and I stayed up almost all night talking about every little thing we had always felt to scared or awkward to say. All the little misunderstandings or secret thoughts in our whole relationship from the day I met him on the Hogwarts Express. By the time morning came, I opened my eyes and smiled knowing that I could now truly say I was lying wrapped in the arms of the one person who knew me better than anyone else on the planet.
